


the claw

by jackgyeoms



Category: Fast and the Furious Series
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Parenthood, and a claw machine that mocks its users, the nightmarish world of chuck e cheese
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-20
Updated: 2015-09-20
Packaged: 2018-04-22 15:42:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,497
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4841063
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackgyeoms/pseuds/jackgyeoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dom wasn’t the kind of man who didn’t admit to his flaws.</p><p>He refused to add ‘unable to beat a crane machine’ to the list.</p>
            </blockquote>





	the claw

**Author's Note:**

> just something stupid cute and fluff that my housemate suggested to me that i just couldn't get out my head.
> 
> beta'd by shep.

 

Dom wasn’t the kind of man who didn’t admit to his flaws. He knew he was stubborn, knew that his temper meant he was always a hairpin away from exploding. He knew that he took everything personally, that he took on the failings of his family as his own. He knew that he craved adrenaline and had issues with authority.

He refused to add ‘unable to beat a crane machine’ to the list.

He’d had Doroteia for the day. She had been insistent that no one else but her daddy could take her to Chuck E Cheese, and while Dom would rather do anything else, he’d do anything his little girl wanted. He tried to spend as much time with her as life would allow, sometimes dragging himself to her after ten hour shifts just to read her a bedtime story, and more often than not, Letty let him crash on her couch so that he could be there in the morning to take her to school. But it never felt like enough, and if his baby girl wanted him to walk into that room of nightmares, he’d put on his big boy pants and fucking do it.

After eating less than adequate pizza, and dancing with her to some song that he didn’t recognise in the middle of the tables at her insistences, he’d wasted handfuls after handfuls of coins on ticket machines so Dora could get some plastic hair clip. Not that he regretted it when she had excitedly asked him to slide it into her hair, and did a twirl, her smile so much like her mother’s and asked whether she looked pretty.

“Beautiful,” he promised and swept her into his arm and hugged her until she was giggling and squirming and demanding to be let go.

A perfect day, he would say, until her eyes had landed on that goddamn machine and the toy it held inside. It was some cuddly tiger toy, something he probably could have brought at any toy store for miles, and of course, it was the only one that would do. Disappointing her wasn’t something he could live comfortably with, and even though she had very calmly assured him she didn’t need the tiger and that Tia Mia would be angry if they were late for dinner, Dom hadn’t been able to let it go.

Which is what brought him back. It felt like he had been there for hours, the world of happy caricatures and too loud music just background noise to his own defeat. The muscles in his arms bunched, and his shoulders tensed. The crane dropped with a whine, grasped, caught an edge and lost it when it came to lifting up. Dom slammed his hand down on the glass, half hoping it would shatter upon impact. It didn’t – another thing that game could do to mock him. He itched to leave, preferably before management was called, but the tiger seemed to wink at him and laugh.

It was something he was going to just take. He nearly ripped a hole in his jeans digging for quarters and it clanged loudly against the metal ring of the coil slot when he forced it in. Once again, the machine whirled to life and waited for him. Dom rolled his shoulders, clicked his neck. Right. He could do this.

His hand wrapped around the joystick and when a voice called out to him – “you okay pal?” – It shocked him from his focus, his hand jerked and wasted another coin when the claw grasped around thin air. Rage boiled, and he took out a slow breath to try and quench it. He turned sharply, ready to face the intruder and tell him to fuck off.

“Never better friend,” he sneered back. That kind of response tended to encourage the person on the receiving end to take measured steps back and flee as if their life was on the line, but that isn’t what happened. The man looked amused if nothing else, casual in his posture with hands deep in his pockets. It was the kid next to him that eyed Dom suspiciously and it was because of that that he tried to relax his face and gentle his voice when he spoke again. He wasn’t about scaring kids.

“Just…frustrated,” he said lamely.

The man hummed. “Yeah, I can see that. Want some help?”

Dom took him in with a little more detail this time. At first glance, the man looked like most white dads in the place. But he was leaner than them, held himself a little taller but perhaps that was because the exhaustion that the other parents couldn’t hide from their faces didn’t seem to touch him. His face was nice, the kind that should that have met in a bar would have him considering, and his eyes would have sealed it. Dom had always had a thing for nice eyes.

Surety and optimism oozed from him, and Dom wasn’t sure whether that was arrogance or confidence. He glanced at the machine, dimmed without his money to bring light, and back again. “It’s rigged.”

The man’s lips parted to show off white teeth and a dazzling grin. “Probably,” he agreed cheerfully, “But they always have a trick.”

“Brian’s good at games,” the kid piped in, and then went silent when Dom’s gaze dropped to him, shyly hiding his face behind Brian’s leg. A hand dropped to his head and rubbed affectionately, but Brian’s eyes didn’t leave his, just waited until Dom sighed, nodded jerkily and took a dramatic step back, gesturing for the space to be filled.

He did so gladly. Dom watched him slide the quarter into the place, the way he crouched a little over the controls and how his tongue slipped out across his bottom lip when he concentrated. He had a show of cracking his fingers and shaking out tensions, something that made the kid laugh and Dom quirk a smile. Brian looked incredibly pleased by that.

To be honest, Dom hadn’t expected anything spectacular. His own experiences had only reinforced the idea that this crane machine was unbeatable and that it was best just to let the damn thing reign its victory. Maybe he’d even find a replica of the damn tiger for Dora to have, not as if she would be none the wiser.  But if this buster wanted to try his luck, who was Dom to refuse him. Except that when he tried his luck, it was like he had some kind of witless deity watching over him because it paid off.

The crane spun its way, lowered and came up with its prize.  Dom had been through his before, the false hope, and it didn’t even occur to him that success was even an option until the toy had cluttered into the shoot and Brian had let out a low whoop as he went to retrieve it. He tucked the thing under his arm and looked smugly at Dom.

He couldn’t think of anything to say but “bullshit”.

Brian laughed, outright, boisterous, inexplicitly pleased with him. The kid’s mouth formed an ‘o’ shape, his face holding shock and outrage and enjoyment as he said, “You said a bad word.”

“You did,” Brian played along.

“Don’t go repeating it,” Dom gave the order to the kid, watch his little face tighten with mischief as if the idea had never occurred to him, and okay, maybe Dom should have expected that. Brian ran his hand through the kid’s hair and pushed his head down a little. “Don’t even think about it,” He said, “Your mom would kill me.”

“Mama’s are like that,” Dom agreed, “And speaking of those, my baby mama is gonna mock me forever about this. How did you even do that?”

Brian looked smug, his grin wide and open. A little distracting maybe, if Dom’s ego hadn’t been so bruised. “Practise. I, ah, had a lot of free time as a kid.”

“Speaking of kids, would you mind?” Dom gestured. Brian glanced down to the toy, shifting it between one arm and the other before raising his stare to consider him. Irritation flared, subdued through exhaustion but no less squashing the thought that should he have to, he’d wrestle the man for the tiger. He’d offered hadn’t he, wanted to show off definitely. Dom wondered whether he was going to be one of those dickheads. Bitterly reminded himself this is why he didn’t go to Chuck E Cheese. The kids, the adults, none of them had any souls.

“What, do you want the quarter or something?” Dom snapped.

“No,” Brian answered honestly, and rocked back on his heels, grinning when he said, “I wouldn’t mind a dinner though. Maybe a movie. Definitely somewhere far away from here.”

Dom’s eyebrows shot up. That was bold, was almost enough to impress him, almost rid him of all his frustration. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been propositioned before, sometimes in the strangest of places – stranded on the highway had been up there – but never had they been so blunt.

“I have a kid. What makes you think I’m not seeing someone?” Dom challenged, wanted to play hard to get he supposed, even though his answer was becoming increasingly obvious. Curiosity, if nothing else.

Brian angled his head towards the machine. “Because no one spends hours at this monstrosity if they’ve got someone at home.”

Ouch, maybe. It didn’t sound like an insult coming from his mouth, it sounded like fact and a promise for that to change.  Or maybe that was just insanity after hours of being beaten by a children’s game. Maybe this was like those stories that Leon loved so much – victim falls in love with their saviour. In this moment, Dom could understand that.

Dom folded his arms, shifted his weight. Dragged his eyes up and down, like he was considering, and feel an easy grin at the darkened look in Brian’s eyes the next time they met. Yes, that was familiar, something he was used to, something that he wanted to take advantage of.

“You don’t even know my name, Brian.” He teased.

Brian angled his head. “What is your name?”

Dom huffed, shook his head in amusement but gave it anyway. “Dom Toretto.” He held out his hand and Brian slipped his into the space valuable. His hold was tight, warm, and the touch sent good vibes up his arm. It made him want to touch more, however inappropriate that would be given the setting, and wonder whether it would feel the same when those hands pressed against his back, his hips, held his neck when those legs wrapped around his waist. He cut those thoughts off quickly, with a quick promise of later. Brian’s expression backed it up.

“Toretto…” he rolled the name around, “You own DT’s garage?”

“You’ve heard of us,” Dom said inexplicitly pleased. It had taken a long time to rebuild the garage back to what it had been under his father’s care after his stint in prison, and the rumours that had drawn customers away. He’d fought for it, done whatever he needed, had the best family who would work for nothing but home cooking should money be pulling too thin. At times, it hadn’t seemed like it would happen, but he’d proved himself and his history was just that. It felt good to know that they were known, that the garage was something to be remembered for.

Maybe that pride showed on his face because Brian’s smile seemed softer now. “Yeah man. Tej says you’re the competition.”

Dom wanted to laugh at the luck of it. Tej’s Garage had opened a few blocks over, moved from Miami to be closer to family. It was some kind of on running joke in the house, about the new meat wanting to take over their territory but Dom had met them on the racing circuit, and Tej was a good guy. Honest, open in a way that was refreshing. Didn’t shy away from him, and stroked his ego when he promised to knock him down a few pegs. Looking at Brian, he wondered whether they would be the same.

“He wishes,” Dom repeated smoothly, and Brian laughed, “Yeah he does. According to Harry, you’re the best. But Tej’s my boy, so I gotta say, he’s better.”

“Oh, is that right?” Dom replied, aware they hadn’t dropped hands and had no intention of doing so until Brian decided it. “Guess I’m gonna have to prove you wrong then.”

“I guess you are,” Brian agreed, “But I’m still pushing for dinner.”

“And you can have it. _After_ I show you what I can do.” Dom drew those words out. A promise to match Brian’s own. Brian met his stare head down. It settled like heat in the back of his spine and kept his attention in a way that hadn’t happened since Letty.

Of course, it couldn’t last, not with the audience they had. “Are you two going to kiss or something?” the kid questioned, voice a tad louder than it had been before, as if to express his outrage for the thought.

“Maybe later, Hiro,” Brian’s voice was light and jokey but his eyes were serious. Dom’s fingers curled a little around his hand, stroked the back of his hand. Agreement. “But first, Dom has a kid who needs a tiger.”

The toy was pressed into his arms carefully, the touch lingering as if just needing to touch, and that was something that he could understand. He gripped the toy tighter than perhaps needed just to ensure that he didn’t, but he was sure Brian knew what he wanted.

“So if I want to see what you can do, should I come during or after hours?” Brian continued.

“After. Bring your car,” Dom ordered.

“Tuesday good for you?”

“We close at six. But come by at seven. I have a bedtime duty.”

“Making sure I’m not there to check out the goods?” Brian teased, lowering his voice a little for Hiro’s sake.

He matched his tone. “Depends what kind of goods you’re looking for, but I’ll try not to disappoint.”

He left Brian with a lingering brush of fingers and the tiger under his arm. Dora was delighted, hugged him as she jumped and gripped the little bastard tightly in one of her little hands. She ran off to show everyone, naturally, and she must have spilled the beans about her witnessing the beginnings of war, because Letty looked at him as if she couldn’t quite believe him, her lips tugged upwards into a smile and more than once, she had to hide a snort into her shoulder.

“You’re a good dad,” Letty murmured when they passed in the halls, and he stroked his hand in silent gratitude down her arm. She then proceeded to loudly tell every one of his struggles, and he supposed he shouldn’t have expected anything less.

 

**Author's Note:**

> feedback is appreciated!
> 
> i have tumblr, [@domtorctto](http://gladers.co.vu/) (if you have any prompts, or wanna talk feelings, leave me a message there!)


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